Ashley Judd: I Was Sexually Harassed By Famous Studio Mogul
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Actress Ashley Judd is generating buzz for an interview she recently gave to Variety magazine where reveals she was sexually harassed by powerful studio exec.
The star has famously appeared in the movie thrillers "Double Jeopardy," "Kiss the Girls," "Heat," and most recently, the box-office action flick "Divergent."
As Judd told Variety, "I was sexually harassed by one of our industry's most famous, admired-slash-reviled bosses."
"He was very stealth and expert about it. He groomed me, which is a technical term – 'Oh, come meet at the hotel for something to eat.' Fine, I show up. Oh, he's actually in his room. I'm like, 'Are you kidding me? I just worked all night. I'm just going to order cereal.' It went on in these stages. It was so disgusting."
Eventually, it escalated to the exec asking her to watch him take a shower, Judd said. She says she declined and left the room before anything could possibly happen.
She says it took many years before she realized what she had been through was "incredibly wrong and illegal."
Later, Judd told Variety she shared her story with a gathering of actors, who said the same exec had done the same thing to them.
Judd says she's making her story known to bring attention to the sexism entrenched in the entertainment industry and to move the conversation forward.
"And I think that's what's happening in Hollywood with regard to female crew members, above-the-line and below-the-line talent, and pay disparity," Judd said in Variety's "Power of Women" issue. "We're individually and collectively coming to a realization and acceptance that this is an entrenched part of the reality, and I think that talking about it is essential to the process of becoming aware, accepting that this is reality and then ultimately taking action.
But many are asking why Judd didn't name the perpetrator and stop the cycle.
WEIGH IN: Do you think she should identify the man she says sexually harassed her? CBSLA would like to hear from you in the comments section here and on our Facebook page.
